Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1887-03-10
GOLD.
An Article Of Which there is Ever q
Famine.

Famine.
San Francisco Mining and Scientific Pressl
We hear a good deal just now
about the present being an era of
over production the markets of the
world being glutted with many of the
staples of use and subsistence. There
is being manufactured or otherwise
produced, we are told, more of these
commodities than can be consumed,
or at least pro6tably disposed of. We
mine too much coal, iron, lead, and
copper; make too much pork, lard,
tobacco, and whisky; raise too much
farm produce, and manufacture too
many articles of various kinds. Such
is the plant of the political economist
of the day, and he may be right; but
there is one thing, we can assure him,
of which we do not make an over
production, nor yet half enough. No
one complains that the crop of gold is,
or ever has been, too large for the
wants Of mankind. There is, in fact,
and ever has been, dearth of this
metal. 1t is one thing that every
body wants, and of which no one ever
gets enough-the one thing that is
never without market at fixed and
remunerative price. OF silver there
NAV, in the estimation of some, seem
to be a plethora; but of gold, the
more royal metal, there is never by
any supposed to be surplus.
Now, while the population and the
industrial products of the world have
Of late years been rapidly increasing
it is VIGOROUSLY the case that the golo
supply has at the same time beer
growing less year by year. That il
to say, with steadily diminishing
supply of that metal the demand TO
it has in about the same ratio in
creased. Gold being the measure O
values, if gold becomes scarce value
decline. When values decline, bust
ness becomes dull and markets stag
!, nant--a condition of things that mus
inevitably ensue if the worlds suppl,
of gold is not soon augmented. 4
general shrinkage Of prices tends t
: discourage enterprise, whereas ad
+ vancing prices tend to stimulate An
quicken it. AS evidence of this trut
y we have the results that followed tn
discovery of gold in California;
y event that produced degree of CON
n merclal and industrial activity such 9
9 the world had never before seen.
AS means of averting the decac
ence that threatens the prosperity no
s. so generally prevailing, the resource
it Of this and all other gold bearin
n countries, wherein the conditions f
utilizing this class of deposits are,
here, especially favorable, should me-
with early and extensive developmer
The yearly output of our gold min
j" might, with proper effort, be advance
r in the next decade to $35,O0O,OOO
a s40,O00,000, and our men of lars
# means will be consulting their ov
/ interests if they proceed to ado,
U" measures looking to that end. OF Il
lie quartz mines that might well attra
to the attention of capitalists, not one
a ten has ever been thoroughly explore
70 or equipped with plant. OF this ella
of properties that have been broug
- into a productive condition, nearly &
Of are making satisfactory net earning
10 only a few failures having occurre
,e for several years past. The odiu
that attaches to the business grew O.
of transactions consummated yea
ago, and not out of those of rece
date.
Is